By Damon Knight
Tragedy has struck the baseball world yet again. A Detroit Tigers prospect and Double-A catcher of the Erie SeaWolves has died. Chace Numata, 27, died on Monday morning due to injuries he’s suffered in a skateboarding accident. Police said they discovered Numata bleeding from his head Friday morning at around 2:15 a.m. in downtown Erie, Pennsylvania. According to Erie police Sgt. David Stucke told the Detroit Free Press.
“It appears he just fell on the skateboard and landed headfirst on the ground,” Stucke said. “It appears he was unconscious as soon as he fell. He was knocked out.”
He was immediately hospitalized at UPMC Hamot where he died three days later. The Numata family said in an statement,
“It is with deep sorrow that the Numata Ohana announces that Chace Kekoa Kenji Numata, our beloved son, brother, and a friend to all, has passed away on Sept. 2, 2019,” the Numata family said in a statement released by Double-A Erie. “Chace was a 27-year-old, switch-hitting catcher from Pearl City, Hawaii that was blessed with the opportunity to professionally play the sport he loved for the Phillies, Yankees, and Tigers organizations for over 10 seasons.”
According to the Detroit Tigers Organization, “The Detroit Tigers are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Chace Numata, who was a catcher for our Double-A affiliate in Erie,” the club said in a statement. “Though this was his first year with our organization, Chace was beloved by many from our Major League club through all levels of our player development system. He had an engaging personality that quickly established him as a leader on and off the field, and his presence will be forever remembered in our organization and beyond. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, teammates and coaches.”
It has been reported that Tigers prospect Logan Shore started a GoFundMe Campaign that will help raise money for the Numata family to pay for traveling expenses and hospital bills. Since Monday afternoon, it has raised over $21,000.
